Shopping in Wales

In Wales, you’ll never be short of choice when it comes to shopping. We have a range of high street names, independent shops, specialist shops and markets to explore.

High street shopping

You’ll find a large number of high street shops in our towns and cities throughout Wales.

Cardiff is regularly voted one of the top UK shopping destinations. Our capital city has all the big high street stores in modern shopping malls in heart of the city centre.

Christmas shopping

Our shops will be full of Christmas gifts, cards and wrapping paper and seasonal food.

There are seasonal pop-up markets in some of our larger cities and towns including Cardiff and Swansea offering crafted goods and food and drink.

Independent shops and arcades full of shops

It’s not all about the big brands. The Victorian and Edwardian Arcades in Cardiff offer a range of independent shops. These historic structures house vintage clothes stores, craft shops, cafes and restaurants. In the arcades, you can buy cheese from a shop that sells over 150 varieties or purchase a record or CD from Spillers Records (Est.1894), the oldest record shop in the world.

Shopping arcade in Cardiff

You’ll find independent shops right across Wales. Places such as Cowbridge, a small town about 12 miles from Cardiff, have many independent shops. Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire is another place to head for independently owned boutiques and galleries.

Markets

Buying fish at Swansea Market

We’ve plenty of markets to choose from, selling local produce and handmade goods. Swansea Market is the largest indoor market in Wales selling a range of fresh food and a variety of goods. Abergavenny in south east Wales has separate markets throughout the month for crafts, antiques, and local farming produce.

Hay on Wye ‘town of books’

Hay on Wye is home to the world’s most famous literary and arts festival. If you’re in search of a rare, collectable or a bargain book then Hay on Wye is the place to shop. The river-side town with the Black Mountains to the south and the Brecon Beacons to the west has almost 40 second-hand bookshops and the largest collection of antique books in Europe.

Bookshop Hay on Wye

Out of town retail outlets

As well as town and city centre shopping, we have a number of out of town retail outlets where you can buy a range of goods including fashion items. These include McArthur Glen Designer Outlet in Bridgend, Festival Park in Ebbw Vale, Morfa Retail Park, Swansea and Parc Trostre, Llanelli.